How To Market Your Auto Tech Job and Advice for Techs Looking for Jobs

[@cliffshenkel7350]

I have a friend that sued his boss here in California for not getting paid overtime on flat rate. His argument was after flagging the 40 hours he had worked a full week and wanted to go home. He won the case and the shop owner had an audit and had to pay all the techs back pay for overtime over the last 3 years. I am surprised the business and the employees are still striving.

[@brianmason8400]

No kidding.....I'm in Mo. Been on flat rate pretty all of the past 30ish years except a very short stint here/there. I've never been paid overtime and have obviously consistently flagged over 40hrs per 5 day work week.

[@blackhawk1920]

I will never come in on my day off unless they offered me 1.5x flagged hours for that day, then maybe I’ll agree to come in that day

[@ronjohnson8119]

Yeah, I bought the “busy shop” line and while they were busy, it was like eating soup with a fork. Four to five oil changes a day at .4 tenths a pop while TRYING to finish big jobs while getting distracted with oil changes is no way to work.

[@peteralessandroni3442]

When an ad states good work/life balance usually means you'll be there past closing on a Friday.

[@gregblau8082]

I contacted a shop owner that had one of those Facebook ads. He was looking for a mid level tech and an a tech with very generous salary ranges for both. We texted back and forth a few times and scheduled a phone interview. He even texted me 5 minutes before to remind me. I planned my lunch break around the interview but he never called. I texted and called a little later but he had his phone off. After that I figured it probably wasn't worth the money to deal with someone that didn't have the courtesy to let me know something came up

[@mikem5475]

Spot on

[@kylepowell4906]

Remember that competitive salary only means your salary will compete against your bills

[@Billionaire1998]

And your coworkers. But they mostly all get paid the same.

[@jamessikes5369]

Yes!! FIX YOUR SHOP! Before your create a high turn over shop!

[@noahkight8023]

Here is another thing while we are on it. Let’s say they have a great ad + super busy. Id go and look at the shops reviews on any platform. “Ripped me off didn’t call back” “Owner was extremely rude” “Had to sue to get my car back” Sure there are some whiny customers but if they have 30 reviews leading to a 3 star overall meaning customers aren’t happy…. You think they are going to make you happy? Look for 100+ reviews if the shop has been around. Look at the website… ect.

[@Sagittarius-88]

There's still a ridiculous labor shortage going on. Qualified techs are in demand. At this point, a good tech should be interviewing the employer. They need you a hell of a lot more than you need them.

[@TheMechanicj]

Don’t seem that way when they offer 15$ per hour as a tech and McDonald’s offers 17$

[@TheMechanicj]

I work for myself now and thought ya know what this job market is hot let me see what I cna get offered cause it be nice to have benefits again best offer I got was 20$ a hour and I have to work till 7pm saturdays hour drive one way to work no thanks

[@marcowens3522]

@@TheMechanicj that depends on the state here in AL Mc Donald's only pay $10 an hour.

[@ronjohnson8119]

TheMechanicj $15 per hr🙄.I was recently offered a job as a Mercedes tech at $50hr flat rate with a guarantee.

[@TheMechanicj]

@@ronjohnson8119 my friend is a master merceds mechanic was making 30$ aftet 10 years it’s East Tennessee they don’t pay shit lol

[@redmesa2975]

6:10 the FLSA ( fair labor standards act) is Federal law. Only legitimate members of management can be salary. If you don’t supervise, then salary isn’t legal.

[@SuperMarioDiagnostics]

A/C in a hot state will put any shop ahead of the game when looking for a tech. Also optional pay plans. I've found that shops have no trouble listing job requirements(which tends to be everything) and provide crumbs when listing reasons why a technician would WANT you work there.

[@philh9238]

Biggest thing is Monday through Friday no weekends.

[@anthonygm85]

We work rotation weekends in my shop it's nice but still sucks

[@pomaicarpenter4315]

I’m tuesday through Saturday

[@1970chevelle396]

The ads also never say that the shop creates a hostile work environment.

[@GrimRepair]

Those are the fringe benefits

[@rcs0296]

because being an auto tech is a thankless job,good luck finding people these days

[@eddieds312]

Exactly my good man, employers always think auto techs are desperate Not me sir

[@stevenbrooks1243]

💯 agree I still make money as a technician but not on auto's anymore in equipment it's a little better of a gig

[@rcs0296]

@@stevenbrooks1243 right, caterpillar is a good one here

[@nickwarner8158]

I'm beyond sick of ads talking about "good" pay, yeat refuse to even give a range and "great benefits" yet refuse to explain what they are. Even better is when they go through middlemen so won't say what shop it even is. If you are a top tier payer, and have good benefits, you should say it in your ad and say WHAT you pay and WHAT your benefits are. If you're truly top tier you will attract top tier talent. But most just are more vague than Yoda and thats BS.

[@emiliog.4432]

How do shops keep ac with those huge bay doors? Dealerships are owned by people that aren’t there. They’re like big faceless corporations, like Amazon. Employees are not held in high regard. Techs are treated as disposable. Sad.

[@satamanschmidt3428]

Shop owners look at the world from THEIR point of view (I make money and maybe I'll throw you a bone, maybe not, depends upon how I feel at the time) not from an employees point of view. Quality of life, cleanliness of shops, quality of owner provided tools: Tire balancers, lifts, tire changers, torches, welders stuff like that. Tell the applicant what you're expecting them to do and what they will be doing up front and provide thm with metrics. I expect you to get this much work out a week. I hate to say it but you guys need a union so that you can present a united front. The more people that say fuck you I'm not working for that the better. Management will always try to divide and conquer it's the American Way.

[@sonofmontezuma3732]

Like I said before the tool truck guys are your best source of real hard truth of your next shop, here the big diesel dealer’s have a real revolving door 85% of there techs have less then 2 years. Around here the new bait is 50 an hour you go in and it’s flat rate but usually the get you end and demand a engineer degree to get that 50 an hour so you end up around 22/30flat rate just a bit more than what the market was paying back in 2000 , 22 years ago when the shop rate was 90 an hour to say it’s 200 hmmmmm think about that

[@brianmason8400]

Yeppers, had a similar situation several years ago. Went for a job interview and was promised a $1000 sign on bonus if I proved myself in the first 90 days. Wouldn't you know, that time went buy, I asked about the bonus, was hand a book of stuff and asked if I knew how to do any of it. It was all sales stuff, counting down the drawer, management stuff, etc. I said no and was told that I didn't earn the sign on bonus. I interviewed w the owners son originally, Gary Calvert Jr of Calverts Express, and he never said a Damm thing about any of that..... I've noticed a lot of potential employers will lie their ass of (as in the above), to get you to come to work. Then it's a big FU.....

[@sonofmontezuma3732]

@@brianmason8400 seen it first hand

[@zoticus1]

@@brianmason8400 I would walk. They had no qualms about deceiving you, they'll do it again.

[@michaelwright1602]

I am up in Detroit, and am mainly in diesel repair shops when the job is too big for me. Outfits that once had ten techs, now have two or only one. Where is everyone? Most of these shops pay hourly, one is flat rate that I know of. I know one pays squat, so that is understandable, a dealership, two techs left, one guy running the parts and service department... That is pretty sad.

[@michaelwright1602]

@@firstescape3523 Where are these guys going? And the wheels falling off, I have more than a few stories there, thousands of dollars of the wrong repairs to fix and sloppy work that cost thousands more to repair. I have never seen it like this in my 30 years out here in trucking. Glad I own tools and am not afraid to get dirty.

[@michaelwright1602]

@@firstescape3523 Good luck to you!

[@iiDangleYT]

Read google reviews about the shop and ask the tool dealer about shops you are interested in or shops that are hiring. Some shops don’t do ads and hire from word of mouth.

[@harold6863]

Tool dealer but maybe better the waste oil disposal truck driver. He can always tell who is busy👍

[@sMFq11]

thing about tool dealer don't owe him lots of money cause he wants you to have a job bet

[@gieauto7175]

A ratio of customers to techs would give a better way of showing work volume. And also give you a an idea of internal competition.

[@kurtkennedy5370]

Customer to tech doesn't mean anything. We have VERY high ARO compared to most shops. So our car count to tech would look lower, but for me and every other tech, working on fewer cars and making good money is easier than making the same hours on double the amount of cars.

[@gieauto7175]

@@kurtkennedy5370 Meaning fewer customers paying a premium to have their vehicles worked on by highly qualified techs, aka the cars you work on will have larger tickets and a better client base.

[@scaracci24]

Well put

[@anthonygm85]

For my job It was very clear 7 days a week plus rotating weekends morning,mids graveyard with hourly pay according to shift worked, list of basic tools required to work was included also

[@colemanbonner]

Well put. I prefer to work Tuesday-Saturday, I find that fits my life best, but I feel ya

[@Glorious40s]

This is good info, most I apply to my ads

[@leealtmansr.3811]

Your comments are very true to all trades, by the way. Thanks for speaking out. 👍

[@JJ-iw7nh]

I can tell you the dealerships I have worked for have the crappiest equipment.

[@markhodge7485]

Christian brothers 50 to 60 hr flat rate 5000 dollars for signing bonuses. Run from them

[@dieseldawg7132]

Lol they that bad

[@MrGamer-hi8yk]

Make a video about the difference between a auto tech and a mechanic

[@spencershaw2407]

One guy is on meth

[@Elk4758]

Yup if the ads don't give some actual pay rate numbers they get ignored.

[@Ken-wu6hr]

Years ago I had a Dealership service manager call me on my Cell about a job. I had a job. I was on Vacation or going on vacation. I went in talked to him. He asked me what I made. I told him. He said he was looking for a used car tech. The pay was ridiculous. I said you called me for this ? I was pissed. Wasting my time

[@TheMechanicj]

Where I live they cater to the 8-5 crowd meaning the shop is open till 8pm and saturdays and Sunday open till 5

[@TheMechanicj]

Now our local Subaru dealer is offering 4 7-6 shifts a week but it’s rotating schedule weekends every other week

[@zoticus1]

Nope

[@TheMechanicj]

@@zoticus1 yep and that’s why I work for myself now no more bs way more money

[@TheMechanicj]

@@zoticus1 yep that’s why I work for myself now plus techs make 30-40k a year in East tennesseee if ur a certified master tech you cna make 50k

[@awesomeHDtutorials]

when you see a job posting stating they are “urgently hiring” makes you wonder

[@gizzync1525]

A lot of places still have the. Techs are a dime a dozen mentality. So belive they don't have to try to hard to get a new guy.

[@georgef1176]

That guy should just put in his Help wanted Ad… ya da-ya da-ya da

[@712gln]

Money and how much vacation days and medical benefits

[@Terry_Baker]

Was just at a Toyota dealership that claimed they had a/c , great pay , etc. Turns out it's hot with no doors except on the ends, pay sucks,and for a B tech, they want you to use their tools( from Harbour Freight).

[@Terry_Baker]

Was just offered a job at another shop that had these exact problems. Sign on bonus, great pay,etc. Turns out the women that run the shop have chased good technicians as well as vendors from their property. So bad that their Google ratings is a 3. No thank you

[@inverseuniverse5727]

A/c in service writers office.

[@505fastlife6]

You must be in California?

[@Terry_Baker]

@@505fastlife6 South Carolina

[@32wrenchbender]

Very well said.

[@Stonehands75]

A plus hit that out of the park fix the internal then build

[@1971anaconda]

Great video but 90 deg f is nothing we get up to 40 plus in Australia and our work shop dosnt have a/c 🇦🇺

[@iamtheoffenderofall]

40C is 104F In the American SW, we get 100s(38C) to 120s(49C). Most shops dont have AC. They have small portable evaporative coolers you need to tow around so not to overheat.

[@politicalpotato8383]

Well, You said alot. B.T.W. We here below the frost line start at 80° At 7am you doing good Buddy. Im Not going to share from the tow truck world. But we know what everybody is bringing in. And those secrets. Are mine and how i see. Every Independent shop. And waiting on the next car to come in.

[@johnburgett5040]

What are these ABC techs you're talking about? I've never heard of them.

[@ryang1589]

flat rate is the best way to go. I dubbed my yearly income

[@jeffl1944]

ABC fire extinguishers lol put fires out

[@jasonsanchez3441]

We have 3 technicians that need to go

[@andygilbert1877]

Only 3? 😂😂😂

[@dieseldawg7132]

We got a few at my shop I done 5 dpf this week yet they are still getting check engines and regening units to death ☠️

[@JOMaMa..]

The guy next to you is thinking the same thing

[@jasonsanchez3441]

@@JOMaMa.. Not really since I'm the lead mechanic and have to fix all the mess UPS

[@jeffl1944]

Good video

[@kurtkennedy5370]

As an owner, I would NEVER Give the pay range out in an ad. The last thing I want in my shop is someone looking for another shop who pays a dollar more and they jump around for the next dollar more an hour, soon enough Ill be the shop he leaves for another dollar an hour. If you want to ask and then we can talk about it, but I am not posting it publicly. Not to mention dunning kruger effect is strong with auto techs.

[@rcs0296]

your last sentence is spot on

[@redmesa2975]

In Colorado it’s the law, pay range must be posted.

[@TheMechanicj]

Don’t need to post pay if ur paying top dollar for real pay me 35$ flat rate with a 1000$ minimum during slow times I’ll make you rich….but I have to keep working for myself cause shops won’t pay. I charge 70$ per hour usually make 50-60 book hours out of my tiny 2 bay shop

[@kurtkennedy5370]

@@TheMechanicj IF you are a solid A tech, 35hr is the on the lower end of the scale. If the shop is confident they can keep the work coming in they should have NO issue putting in a guarantee. HUGE red flag if they dont and youre on flat rate.

[@kurtkennedy5370]

@@TheMechanicj What part of the country are you In?

[@kevinlamarr1424]

Top tech can make up to…..

[@da9ej1eg99]

$16/hour

[@PhillyDee215]

⚠️TOTALLY AGREE‼️

[@bodgitandleggitgarage]

1st boom

[@jeffl1944]

Bmwdealers in nova 1 million a month in service